2013 AUDI RS5 CABRIOLET warning lights

118 Driving Safely
Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, airbags, child restraints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the information
and warnings in this section -for your own
safety as well as that of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle . Some of the
features described in this sections may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others. If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
structions and heed the WARNINGS in
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the interest of your passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter­
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
your vehicle so that this important infor­
mation will always be available to the
driver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find it easily if you have
questions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a variety of features
available to help reduce the risk of injury in an accident.
The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in your Audi:
- sophisticated safety belts for driver and all
passenger seating positions,
- belt force limiters for the front seats,
- belt pretensioners for the seats,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- special LATCH anchorages for child re-
straints,
- adjustable steering column.
These individual safety features, can work to­
gether as a system to help protect you and
your passengers in a wide range of accidents.
These features cannot work as a system if
they are not always correctly adjusted and cor­
rectly used.
Safety is everybody's responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Sofety is everybody's job! Vehide ond occu­
pant safety always depends on the informed
and careful driver.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driving always:
" Make sure that all lights and signals are op ­
erating correctly .
"Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
"Make sure that all windows are clean and af­
ford good visibility to the outside.
"Secure all luggage and other items carefully
¢page 66.
"Make sure that nothing can interfere with
the pedals.
"Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height .
" Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
straints according to their height .
"Make sure to use the right child restraint
correctly to protect children ¢
page 158,
Child Safety.
"Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same ¢
page 61,
Seats and storage. ..,

178 Intelligent technolog y
@ Tips
-ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
a ll four wheels are eq uipped w ith identi­
ca l tires . Different tire s iz es can lead to a
r educt io n in engine power .
- You may hear no ises w hen the systems
described are wo rking.
- If the indicato r light
DJ or 11:11 (U SA
models) 1i] (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malf unct io n ¢
page 19,
c> page 19.
Switching on/off
ESC turns on au toma tically when you s tart
the engine.
Fig . 16 9 Ver sio n A : low er c ente r co nso le,~ OFF bu t·
to n
Fig . 17 0 Ve rsio n B: u ppe r ce nter conso le, ~ OFF but ­
to n
Switching sport mode on
Press the I;; OF F I button ¢ fig. 169 o r
c::> fig. 170 quickly. The act ions taken by the
E SC and ASR stabilize the vehicle a re limited .
T he
IJ ES C in dicator light tu rns on and the
me ssage
Stabilization control (ESC) : Sport .
Warning! Restricted stability
appe ars in the
d river info rmation disp lay
c::> A .
The following e xamp les are unusual situa­
t io ns whe re it may ma ke sense to switch s port
mode on in order to allow the wheels to sp in:
- Ro cking the vehicle to free i t when i t is s tuck
- Dr iv ing in deep snow o r on loose g round
- Dr iving with snow chains
Sport mode can be sw itched on at a ny speed .
Switching ESC/ASR off
Press a nd ho ld the I~ OFF I but ton for three
secon ds. The
lfil•)H and fl indicator lights
turn on and the message
Stabilization con­
trol (ESC) : off. Warni ng! Restricted stability
appears in the driver information display.
AS R is also switched off when ESC is switched
off . The stabilizat ion function is not ava ilable
c> A .
Switching on
Press the !.i, O FF I button ag ain to sw itch the
ESC back on . The
I indicator lig ht tu rns off
and the message
Stabilization control (ESC ):
On appears in the display.
A WARNING ,-
- Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose
control of t he vehicle mo re eas ily w hen
ASR and ESC are in sport mode , especial­
ly whe n the road is slippe ry .
- Sw itch to sport mode only when your
driving skills, traffic an d weather condi ­
tions per mit.
@ Tips
You cannot sw itch sport mode on whe n
adaptive c ruise co ntrol* is w ork in g.
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
D uring the first 250 mi les (400 km), new
brake pad s do not possess the ir full b rak ing
effect, they have to be "broken in" first¢ &.
The break- in period can be considerably lon-
-
ger for ve hicles w ith ceram ic b rake rotors* . ll>

180 Intelligent technology
8_ WARNING
-New brake pads don't have the best stop­
ping power and must be "broken -in" dur ­
ing the initial 100 to 150 miles (150 to
200 kilometers) of normal city driving .
The break-in period can be considerably
longer for vehicles with ceramic brake ro­
tors*. You can compensate for this by pressing the brake pedal more firmly.
This also applies later when new pads are
installed.
- You should perform braking maneuvers
for the purpose of cleaning the brake
system only if road conditions permit.
Other road users must not be put at risk -
you may cause an accident!
- Before descending a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transmission into a lower
gear or lower driving range. Do not ride
the brakes or hold the pedal down too
long or too often. This could cause the
brakes to get hot and diminish braking
efficiency .
- Do not "ride the brakes" by resting your
foot on the pedal when you do not intend
to brake . This may cause the brakes to
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
conditions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy rain or after washing
the vehicle, the effectiveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice can
accumulate on the brake pads, linings,
discs and drums . Carefully apply brakes
for a test . Brakes will dry and ice coat­
ings will be cleaned
off after a few care­
ful brake applications.
- Driving for an extended period of time on
salt-covered roads without using your
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean
off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few careful
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct- ed
. Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the entire brake system.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair
the braking capability resulting in an in­
creased stopping distance. Avoid driving
the vehicle and have it towed to the near­
est authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with
the engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, for
example when towing your vehicle, or
because the brake booster has somehow
been damaged, the brake pedal must be
pressed considerably harder to make up
for the lack of booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering .
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defective! Do not drive vehicle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on
and this message appears, the power steering
may have failed.
Do
not continue driving . See your authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified repair facility
for assistance .
''!'Y Dynamic steering: System fault! You can
continue driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, the steering may be more diffi­
cult to
move or more sensitive than usual. The
steering wheel may also be at an angle when
driving straight .
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have the malfunction
corrected. .,..

182 Intelligent technology
-On wet road surfaces , be careful not to
dr ive too fast because the front wheels
cou ld beg in to slide on top of the water
(aquaplaning). If this should occur, you
will have no warning from a sudden in­
c rease in engine speed as with a front­
wheel drive vehicle. A lways d rive at
s peeds w hich a re suited to the road con­
di tions -ris k of crash.
Energy management
Starting ability is optimized
Energy management controls the distribution
of electrical energy and thus optimi zes the
availabili ty of elec trical energy for s tarting
t he engine.
If a vehicle with a conventional energy system
is not driven for a long period of time, the bat­
te ry is d ischarged by idling current consumers
(e.g . immobilizer) . In certain ci rcumstances it
can result i n there bei ng ins ufficient ene rgy
ava ilab le to start th e engi ne .
Intell igen t energy management in y our veh i­
cle hand les the d istribution of electrical ener­
gy. Starting ab ility is markedly improved and
the life of the battery is extended .
Basically, energy management consists of
battery diagnos is , idling current manage­
ment
and dynamic en ergy management .
Battery diagnosis
Battery d iagnosis continuously determ ines
the state of the battery. Sensors determ ine
battery vo ltage, ba tte ry current and battery
temperature . This dete rm ines the current
state of charge and the powe r of the battery.
Idling current management
Idling current management reduces energy
consumption while the vehicle is stand ing.
W ith the igni tion switched off, it cont ro ls the
energy s upply to the va rious e lectr ica l compo ­
n ents . Data from battery diagnosis is consid­
e red. D
epend ing on the ba tte ry's state o f cha rge ,
indivi dual cons umers a re g radually turned off
to prevent excessive discharge of t he battery
and th us maintain starting capability.
Dynamic energy management
While the vehi cle is being d riven, dynami c en ­
ergy management distr ibutes the energy gen ­
erated accord ing to t he needs of the indivi du­
al components . It regulates consumption, so
t h at more electrical energy is not being used
t h an is be ing generated and ensures an opti­
mal state of charge fo r the battery .
(D Tips
-But even ene rgy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
t ha t the powe r and life of a battery are
limited.
- If start ing ability is t hreatened , the indi­
cator light(•) appears ~
page 17.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capability.
The battery is severe ly taxed in short-d istance
driv ing, in city traff ic and during the cold time
of yea r. Ab undant electrical e nergy is re­
quired, but on ly a little is generated . It is also
c rit ical if th e engi ne is no t ru nning and e lectri­
ca l c ompone nts are t urned on . In this in ­
sta nce ene rgy is be ing consumed but none i s
being gene ra ted .
It is in prec isely these s ituations that you will
not ice ene rgy management a ct ive ly reg ulat­
in g t he di stribu tion of ene rgy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of seve ral days or weeks , e lectr ica l compo­
n ents a re g radually cut bac k or sw itched off.
T h is reduces energy consump tion and ma in­
ta in s start ing c apabili ty over a longer pe riod .
Some of the convenience func tions may not
opera te, such as t he interio r lights or the
power seat adjustme nt. The convenience
ll-

Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
""Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Accelerating gently reduces fuel consump­
tion, engine wear, and does not disturb the
environment.
Fu el consumption, exhaust emissions and en ­
g ine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at approximately three
quarters of top speed, fuel consumption will
be reduced by one half. Never drive faster
than the posted speed limit and weather con­
ditions permit .
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
""Shut the engine off when you are not driving
the vehicle.
"" Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle .
It makes sense to shut
off the engine in traff ic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at ra il­
road crossings, or at traffic lights that have
l ong wa its on red. Turning the engine
off for
just
30-40 seconds saves more fue l than is
burned starting the engine again .
It takes a long time for the engine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle. However, wear
and noxious emissions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid running at high rpms while the engine is
still warming up.
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting . If warning lights should come
on to indicate improper operation, they
would go unheeded. Extended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld result in over-
Driving and environment 187
'
heating or othe r damage to the vehicle or
other property.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel.
""H ave your veh icle serviced at regular inter-
vals.
By having your vehicle regu larly serviced by an
au thorized Aud i dea ler helps to ensure that it
runs properly and economic all y. The condition
of your veh icle not on ly affects its safety and
ability to hold its va lue, it a lso affects
fuel
consumption .
Check your oil each time you fill your tank.
The amount of o il used is related to engine
load and speed.
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest value after a certain
mileage has been driven.
You must drive your vehicle about 3,000 miles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and en­
gine output.
(U) Note
- Have your vehicle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet. Lack of proper mainte­
nance as well as improper use of the ve­
hicle will impair the function of the
emission control system and could lead
to damage.
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
valves, which are designed to protect
your vehicle's Emission Control System
and other important vehicle compo­
nents .
•
•

(D Note
-Never try to remove dirt, mud or dust if
the surface of the vehicle is dry. Never
use a dry cloth or sponge, since this
could scratch your vehicle's pa int or w in­
dows .
- Never wash your car in bright sunlight.
Drops of water act as magnifying lenses
and may damage your paint.
- When you wash your car in the w inter: if
you r inse your vehicle w ith a hose, be
careful not to aim the stream of water
direct ly at locks, or at door or hatch
openings - they can free ze shut.
- Never use sponges des igned to remove
i nsects, or any kitchen scouring sponges
or similar products. They can damage
you r paint finish.
- Never use a dry cloth o r sponge to clean
the headligh ts. On ly use we t cloths or
sponges to prevent scratches.
It i s best
to use soapy wate r.
- You sho uld remove debris (su ch as in­
sects) from the head ligh t lenses on a
r egular basis, for example when refuel ­
ing your vehicle . Never use a dry cloth or
sponge to clean the head lights. Only use
wet cloths or sponges to prevent
scratches.
It is best to use soapy water.
@ For the sake of the environment
On ly wash the vehicle in facilit ies specially
designed for that purpose. Th is w ill reduce
the risk of d irty water contaminated with
oil from entering the sewer system. In
some areas, wash ing vehicles outs ide of
these facilit ies is prohib ited.
Washing your vehicle with a power
washer
Cleaning the exterior of your car with a high ­
pressure power washer is safe as long as you observe a few simple rules .
~ Before us ing the powe r washe r, make sure
yo u have re ad an d u nderstood the WARN-
Cleaning and protec tion 19 1
INGS ¢ A in General information on
page 189 .
~ Always follow the operating instr uctions for
the power washer.
~ Make sure that the jet on the spray hose pro­
duces a "fan shaped sp ray" .
~ Do not hold the sp ray nozzle too close to
soft mater ials .
Never use a pow er washer to clean the power
top itself.
Keep a distance from soft materia ls s uch as
rubber hoses or insulating material as well as
sensors and camera lenses.
When cleaning the vehicle with a power was h­
er
always follow the operating instructions .
This applies part icu larly to the operating pres­
sure and the spraying d istance. Do not point
the spray d irectly at the seals around the s ide
windows, around the doo rs, on the rea r lid or
o n the powe r top. Likewise, do not po int it di­
re ct ly at tires, rubbe r hoses, insulat io n ma te ­
ria l or senso rs
¢ page 193. Hold the spray
nozzle at leas t 1.3 ft (0. 4 m) away from the
vehicle.
Do no t use a high-p ressu re power was her to
remove snow and i ce .
Do not use a jet which sprays water in a d irect
stream o r one that has a rotat ing jet.
Water temperature should not exceed 140 °F (60
°() .
A WARNING
Neve r wash t ires with a jet t hat sprays wa­
ter in a direct stream . Thi s could cause in­
v isi ble d amage to the t ire s and weaken
them, even if the spr ay is from a re lative ly
l ong dis tance and for a sho rt time. Dam­
aged and weakened tires can fail and cause
accidents and personal in jury.
([) Note
- Never use a power washer to clean the
powe r top itse lf .
•
•

192 Cleaning and protection
-To a void damaging yo ur vehicle, always
make sure that there is sufficient dis­
tance between the spray head and soft
mater ials like rubber hoses, p lastic parts
and sound-deaden ing mater ials as well
as sensors and camera lenses . Never aim
the spray head at t he same po int for a
l ong time. This also app lies to cleaning
headlights and painted bumpers . Re­
member: the cl oser the nozzle is to the
su rface o f the materia l, the greater the
stress on the mate rial.
Caring for vehicles with matte finish
paint
Ap plies to vehicles: with matte finish pa int
Vehicles with matte finish point require spe­
cial core due to the characteristics of the
poin t.
Washing by hand
To avoid damag ing the pa int when wash ing,
f irst remove dust and large particles from
your ve hicle . Insects, g rease spots and finger­
prints are best removed with a special cleaner
for matte finish paint .
Apply the product using a microfiber cloth. To
avoid damaging the paint surface, do not use
too m uch pressure.
R inse the vehicle t ho roughly with wa ter. Clean
the vehicle sta rting at the top and working to­
ward the bottom using a
neutral shampoo
and a soft mi crofiber cloth . Stop frequently to
rinse t he cloth thoroughly.
C lean the w heels and sill panels last. Use a
clean
s ponge on these areas .
R in se the veh icle tho roughly aga in and let i t
a ir dry . If there are any wa ter spots, t hey ca n
be removed using a
leather cloth.
C lean again with t he special cleaner for matte
fini sh paint
if ne cessa ry.
Removing stubborn dirt
Bird dropping s or tree sap
are best removed
with plenty of water a nd a m icrofiber cloth. You should
rinse off
ga soline re sidue immed i­
ate ly wit h plenty of water.
A WARNING
-
- Wash your vehicle only when the ign ition
is switched off to reduce the risk of a
crash.
-Always read and heed a ll WAR NINGS and
other information
c';> page 189.
(D Note
- Do not treat veh icle parts pa inted with
matte finish paint using polishing mate­
r ia ls or hard wax . These p roducts could
cause damage to the appearance or s ur­
face that cannot be repaired.
- Never use protective wax . It can destroy
the matte f inish effect .
- Do not place any stickers or magnetic
signs on vehicle parts painted with
matte finish paint . The paint could be
damaged w hen the stickers or magnets
are removed.
'
- To prevent paint damage, do not wash
the vehicle in d irect sunlight.
- To prevent damage to the pa int surface,
do not use insect remova l sponges ,
rough k itchen spo nges or sim ila r items.
- You should remove deb ris (such as i n­
sects) from the headlight lenses o n a
regu lar basis, for example w he n r efuel­
ing your vehicle . Only clea n the head­
ligh ts u sing a wet cloth or sponge, neve r
a dry one. Clean ing wi th so apy wate r is
recommended .
{D Tips
For more inform ation on special clea ning
p rodu cts designed fo r m att e fin ish pain t,
see your Aud i deale r.
Power top care
The power top requires special care.
K eep ing you r top looking great and mak ing
c e rtain that it lasts a long time depend to a
great ex ten t on prope r use an d ca re. Remove .,.

temperatures stay below freezing point for l ong periods.
Detergent add itives in the o il w il l make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run ­
ning fo r a short time . This is norma l and is not
a reason to change the oi l more often than
recommended.
D am ag e or m alfun ction s due to lack of
ma intenanc e
It is essential that you change your oil at the
r ecommended inte rva ls using only engine o il
t hat complies with A udi oi l standard
VW 502 00 . Your Limited New Vehicle War ­
ranty does not cover damage or malfunctions
due to fa ilure to fo llow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Maintenance book let . Your dealer will have to
deny warranty coverage u nless you present to
the dea ler p roof in the fo rm of Serv ice or Re­
pa ir Orde rs that all s chedu led maintenance
was pe rformed in a t imely manner .
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In o rder to provide effective lubrication and
cool ing of internal engine components, a ll in­
ternal combustion eng ines consume a certa in
amo unt of o il. Oil consumption varies from
engine to engine and may change significantly
over the life of the engine. Typ ica lly, engines
with a specified break-in period (see
¢
page 184) consume more oil during the
break-in per iod than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized .
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con ­
sumpt ion depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oil, the RPM (revo lutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road condit ions. Furthe r fac­
tors are the amount of o il d ilution from wate r
condensation or fuel residue and the ox ida­
tion level of the oil. As any engine is s ubje ct to
Checkin g and fillin g 211
wear as mi leage builds up, the oil consump­
tion may increase over time until replacement
of worn components may become necessary.
Wi th a ll these variab les coming into p lay, no
standard rate of oil consumpt ion can be es ­
tablished or specified. There is no alternative
to regular and frequent check ing of the o il lev ­
el, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oil leve l warning symbo l
1\1 in the instrument cluster lights up , you
shou ld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢
page 212. Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
¢ page 212.
A WARNING
Before you check anythi ng i n the engine
compartment, always read a nd heed all
WARNINGS¢ .&.
in Working in the engine
c ompartment on page 207.
(D Note
Driving w ith an insufficient o il level is like­
ly to cause severe damage to the engine .
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. is
not an indi cator of the oil le vel. Do not
rely on it . Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regu lar intervals, pref­
erably ea ch time you r efuel, and alway s
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression you r engi ne
c ons umes ex cess ive amoun ts of o il, we
recommend that you consul t an a uthor­
ized Aud i dea ler to have the cause of
your concern properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that the accurate measurement of
oil consumption requ ires great care and
may take some t ime. An authorized Aud i
dealer has instructions about how to
measu re oil consumption accurately.
-
•
•